How Long Does a Cell Phone Battery Charge Last?

Cell phones are common place in today's society and most have likely experienced the familiar pain of having a phone battery die during inopportune times. Cell phones are powered by batteries that require regular recharges. The amount of time you use your phone and the number of applications it executes will all affect how long a battery will last before it has to be recharged.

Cell Phone Power

All cell phones depend on a lithium ion battery to operate. Batteries are rechargeable and must be plugged in after the drain for the phone to operate. Lithium ion batteries have a shelf life and are only good for a certain number of charges, but most phones will last for 18 months to 3 years, depending on use.

Standby Charge

A phone on standby can last for upward of 3 days, depending on the type of phone and applications packed onto it. Standby is the time you are not actively talking or using the phone, you simply have it on. The older a phone gets, the shorter the standby time will get but new phones appear to be averaging around 2 to 5 days of standby.

Official Talk Time

Official talk time refers to the amount of time the phone can be used for talking before the battery will be drained completely. Newer phone models often offer high talk-time charges. Most new model phones offer roughly between 5 to 7 hours of official talk time per charge. The official talk time also includes time used on other applications, including text messaging and picture taking.

Phone Applications

Phone application can drain a battery much more quickly than the advertised talk times. Using the Internet, playing video games or playing videos/music will lead to a quicker battery drain time.

Age of Battery

Some people find that as a phone ages, the battery will die more and more quickly; the phone must be recharged more often. This is due to the breakdown of the lithium ion battery. A battery will begin to lose the ability to charge after about 18 months of daily use.